Good Day Arrowman,
My name is Charles Pickering and I am your W4N Section Chief. I am happy to inform you that your Lodge Chiefs, selected Arrowmen from your Lodge and myself have been planning our upcoming Section W4N Conclave since last September and registration is now open! The 2010 W4N Section Conclave will be held on September 24-26 at Oak View Recreation Center (555 Mahoney Avenue, Oak View, CA 93022). The theme of our Conclave is "Living the Legacy..."
Your First Conclave?
If you have never been to a Conclave, it is very similar to a Lodge Fellowship or a Council Camporee. Our Section has six different Lodges, and the areas they serve range from above Bakersfield all the way to the bottom of Long Beach. Our section gathers only once a year at our annual Conclave, so this is a special event! Conclave is a learning opportunity; in the morning, there are classes ranging from ceremonies to effective communicating to tipi setup. There are classes for Scouts and Arrowmen with much experience or very little experience. Classes, however, aren’t the only way to learn! In the afternoon, the fun and games kick off. Different sports games, Native American Dance education, fellowship with your lodge and other lodges. A dunk tank will be on site and you can try to soak myself or the Order of the Arrow’s National Chief, Brad Lichota. You get this for only $35 for new Ordeal members (less than one year of OA membership).
Been to a few Conclaves already?
Some of the classes you may have seen before, but we have definitely added some new ones, such as "Working with the LDS" and "Working with Disabled", or if you feel you have enough knowledge to be a Trainer, attend the "Could I be a Conclave Trainer" class.
Conclave is not the same every year. Take a new class, or take a class with a new Arrowman. Represent your Lodge in one of the sports tournaments. Participate in your ceremonies team (more on that further down). This year, take the time to build bonds with Arrowmen within and outside your Lodge. Enjoy the shows with your new ordeal members or first year conclave participants; they look to you to make it fun. And did I mention the Dunk Tank?
Ceremonialists
If you are a ceremonialist, I have the utmost respect for you. If you want to become a ceremonialist or you are a new ceremonialist, Conclave is a good start. There will be opportunities for your team to compete for the Pre-Ordeal, Brotherhood and Vigil Ceremony Awards. However, don’t just view them as an opportunity to compete against other lodges to discover the best in the Section, it is also a time to practice in a safe environment under constructive criticism. Every lodge conducts Ordeal, Brotherhood and Vigil Ceremonies, so every lodge should have their teams compete. We are all striving to become better, and these competitions are meant to help you improve, not just simply pick out the best in the Section. So whether you are a first timer, or you could do it in your sleep, represent your lodge this year and learn something, because there is always room for improvement.
There will also be training sessions where you can break down the ceremony and really analyze it as a class so everyone can either share or deepen their own knowledge of our ceremonies.
Dancers
Dancers, if you are out there, we need you. We as in your section, your lodge, your chapter; dancing isn’t as popular as it used to be in our section, and it’s because we are passing the passion on to the next generation. So if you are an old dancer, come out and participate in the Native American Seminar on dancing. If you are interested, come to the seminar, learn how to dance, then share your passion with the new Arrowmen to come.
Not only do I hope to see you at Conclave, but I want to see you having a good time. Remember, September 24-26, Oak View Recreation Center, $35 for new ordeal members, $47 for everyone else before August 22 and online registration is open now. Sign up today!
In Service,
Charles Pickering
W4N Section Chief
No comments:
Post a Comment